SEOUL, Nov 21 North Korea may try to launch a military reconnaissance satellite as early as November 22, a South Korean military source told reporters in Seoul.
Earlier, Japan's Maritime Safety Service reported that it had received notification from North Korea that it would launch a launch vehicle with a satellite between November 22 and December 1. The missile fragments are expected to fall outside Japan's exclusive economic zone at two points southwest of North Korea in the Yellow Sea and east of the Philippines.
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“Presumably, the launch could be from tomorrow night (November 22. — Ed.), We are also preparing. <…> This year, North Korea carried out all satellite launches on the first day of the specified period. The weather before dawn tomorrow seems to be suitable. Afterwards, there will be snow and rain in the area (of the training ground — editor's note). But since this is North Korea, if necessary, they will launch it anyway,” a military official told reporters.
He also noted that, according to the military, the deadline declared by the DPRK from November 22 to December 1 actually assumes a range from 0:00 hours on November 22nd to 24:00 on November 31st.
North Korea tried to launch a spy satellite on May 31 and August 24. In both cases, the launch took place on the first day of the warning, but both ended in failure. During its launch in August, the rocket flew over Japan's southernmost prefecture, Okinawa.